Alti-2 Releases New No-F*ing-Way Audible Altimeter

It is not April 1, so don’t bother checking the calendar. Alti-2 has begun production on the N3 Audio (N3A), a new audible altimeter and electronic logbook…with a twist. Instead of speakers, the N3A has one mp3 player input and one headphone slot.

Music from your mp3 player can be played during your skydive, with interruptions from the N3A at your pre-set alarm times. At the first freefall alarm altitude, you will hear “Breakoff Breakoff”, then “Deploy Deploy” at the second alarm. OR…you can record and upload your own alarm .wav tones. (The third flatline alarm remains the same and is not changeable for safety reasons.) The N3A can also optionally be set to announce altitude at every thousand feet (twelve… eleven…ten…).

Canopy alarms sound the buildup tones like normal, but at the end of the buildup, a voice will say “Downwind” at the first alarm, “Base” and “Final” at the second and third alarms, respectively. Like the freefall alarms, you can record and upload your own canopy alarms.

An mp3 player is not required to function; those with frequency-specific hearing loss (common among people with repeated exposure to things like turbine engine noise) can use the N3A to play tones or voices at more audible frequencies.

We want to hear your best custom alarms! Submit them to shenanigans@blueskiesmag.com by January 15, 2010. Grand prize is one new N3 Audio, courtesy Alti-2.

Contest fine print:

Audio file length: 3.5 seconds maximum

Audio file format: .wav

Alarm set: three (3) freefall alarms and three (3) canopy alarms. Final freefall alarm cannot be used in the N3A, but it is allowed and will be judged in this contest.

Include your name, e-mail address and theme name.

N3 Audio is not required to create pull tone alarms.

All submitted audio files become the property of Blue Skies Mag and Alti-2, Inc. Files may be posted for public download on either or both company Web sites.

All judging will be done by Blue Skies Magazine.

Submissions will be accepted to shenanigans@blueskiesmag.com until midnight, Eastern Standard Time, on January 15, 2010.